Philly inspector kills self after deadly collapse PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A veteran Philadelphia building inspector who apparently committed suicide had inspected the site of a deadly building collapse twice in February and an adjacent, related project in mid-May. The June 5 collapse killed six people when a four-story building tumbled onto a small thrift shop. The demolition site consisted of three attached buildings. City records show that Ronald Wagenhoffer inspected the site before work began...

New lungs buy time but don’t cure cystic fibrosis WASHINGTON (AP) — The 10-year-old Pennsylvania girl who fought for a lung transplant has a difficult journey ahead. The transplant isn’t a cure for her cystic fibrosis, and new lungs don’t tend to last as long as other transplanted organs. But it can extend life by years, buying some time. “You’re keeping them alive and hopefully well, hoping that something else will come along that will make the big difference,” said Dr. Anastassios Koumbourl...

Court ruling may open up breast cancer gene tests A ruling by the Supreme Court that human genes can’t be patented is expected to increase access and drop the cost for tests for gene mutations that greatly raise the risk of developing breast or ovarian cancer. In a bit of a mixed message, the court unanimously decided that certain types of gene tests may still be protected by patents, yet it struck down patents that a company has long held for BRCA genes. The company makes the only test for t...

Obama to step up military support of Syrian rebels WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has authorized sending weapons to Syrian rebels for the first time, U.S. officials said Thursday, after the White House disclosed that the United States has conclusive evidence President Bashar Assad’s government used chemical weapons against opposition forces trying to overthrow him. Obama has repeatedly said the use of chemical weapons would cross a “red line,” suggesting it would trigger greater Amer...

Hillary Clinton turning toward nonprofit world CHICAGO (AP) — As she considers another White House bid, Hillary Rodham Clinton intends to work in the nonprofit world on issues like improving early childhood education, promoting the rights of women and girls, and finding ways to improve the economy — a set of priorities that could inform a 2016 presidential campaign. The former secretary of state offered her most extensive description of her post-Obama administration agenda on Thursday sinc...

Senators look for consensus border amendment WASHINGTON (AP) — Key Senate Republicans are working to develop a compromise on border security that would satisfy GOP demands for stronger enforcement language in a far-reaching immigration bill without costing Democratic support, lawmakers and aides said Thursday. To win over skeptical Republicans, senators are considering mandating specific requirements for equipment and other tools along the U.S.-Mexico border, instead of just leaving it u...

1 dead, 73 hurt in Louisiana plant explosion GEISMAR, La. (AP) — A ground-rattling explosion Thursday at a chemical plant in Louisiana ignited a blaze that killed at least one person and injured dozens of others, authorities said. Louisiana’s health department said 73 people were treated at hospitals for injuries ranging from minor to critical following the Thursday morning explosion. State police Capt. Doug Cain said a body was found by hazardous materials crews going through the afterm...

3 wildfires burn out of control in Colorado COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — A wildfire fueled by hot temperatures, gusty winds and thick, bone-dry forests has destroyed 92 homes, damaged five more and prompted more than 7,000 residents northeast of Colorado Springs to flee, sheriff’s official said Wednesday. A separate Colorado wildfire to the south has destroyed 20 structures and prompted evacuations of about 250 residents and nearly 1,000 inmates at medium-security prison. To the north...

Midwest pelted with rain, wind, hail, tornadoes CHICAGO (AP) — A massive line of storms packing hail, lightning and tree-toppling winds rolled through the Midwest Wednesday evening driving people into basements for shelter, tearing down power lines and causing flooding in low-lying areas. Forecasters predicted that by the time the storms were done, they could affect more than one in five Americans from Iowa to Maryland. In the small town of Belmond, Iowa, about 90 miles north of Des Moines,...

Pa. girl’s double-lung transplant deemed success PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A 10-year-old girl whose efforts to qualify for an organ donation spurred public debate over how organs are allocated underwent a successful double-lung transplant on Wednesday, the girl’s family said. Sarah Murnaghan, who suffers from severe cystic fibrosis, received new lungs from an adult donor at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, spokeswoman Tracy Simon said. The Murnaghan family said it was “thrilled” to share the n...

NJ town OKs boardwalk ban on saggy pants WILDWOOD, N.J. (AP) — Hindsight will soon be punishable by a $25 fine in this Jersey Shore resort. Wildwood passed a law Wednesday night banning overly saggy pants on the boardwalk, prompted by numerous complaints from longtime visitors about having to see people’s rear ends hanging out in public. Subsequent violations of the law, which could take effect as early as July 2, could result in fines as high as $200, and 40 hours of community servi...

NSA director: Programs disrupted dozens of attacks WASHINGTON (AP) — The director of the National Security Agency vigorously defended once-secret surveillance programs as an effective tool in keeping America safe, telling Congress on Wednesday that the information collected disrupted dozens of terrorist attacks without offering details. In his first congressional testimony since revelations about the top-secret operations, Army Gen. Keith Alexander insisted that the public needs to know more a...

Ariel Castro pleads not guilty in Ohio kidnap case CLEVELAND (AP) — A man accused of holding three women captive in his home for about a decade pleaded not guilty Wednesday to hundreds of rape and kidnapping charges, and the defense hinted at avoiding a trial with a plea deal if the death penalty were ruled out. The death penalty is in play because among the accusations facing Ariel Castro, 52, is that he forced a miscarriage by one of the women, which is considered a killing under Ohio law. T...

Border security at issue in immigration bill WASHINGTON (AP) — Bickering across a deep divide, supporters of immigration legislation pushed back hard Wednesday against Republican demands for tougher border security measures before millions living illegally in the country could take the first steps toward U.S. citizenship. Even modest changes were snared in the political crossfire that erupted on the first full day of debate on the measure, as the two sides failed to agree on terms for vo...

Jury selection enters Day 3 in Zimmerman trial SANFORD, Fla. (AP) — Attorneys trying to seat a jury in George Zimmerman’s trial for shooting an unarmed teen stopped questioning a white man in his 20s Wednesday after he gave answers that indicated he wouldn’t be impartial. The juror, known as “R-39” because potential panelists can be identified only by their numbers, said that “murder is murder,” even if it’s self-defense. Zimmerman, 29, is pleading not guilty to second-degree murder, claim...

Officials: Obama aides split on arming rebels WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite growing alarm over the Syrian government’s military advances, Obama administration officials are split over whether to arm the country’s rebel forces or make other military moves that would deepen U.S. involvement in the conflict. President Barack Obama’s top national security advisers met at the White House on Wednesday to air their differences. The administration’s caution persists despite its nearly two-year-old de...

Mississippi commemorates Evers’ civil rights work JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Civil rights leader Medgar Evers helped create a more inclusive and open Mississippi by increasing black voter registration, Gov. Phil Bryant said Wednesday during a service marking the 50th anniversary of Evers’ assassination. A racially diverse crowd of more than 150 people gathered outside the Mississippi Museum of Art in downtown Jackson for speeches, gospel singing and the ringing of bells to remember the NAACP leade...

Judge: Supreme Court sign ban unconstitutional WASHINGTON (AP) — In a case that could end with the Supreme Court deciding how much free speech to allow on its own doorstep, a federal judge has thrown out a law barring processions and expressive banners on the Supreme Court grounds. The law is so broad, the judge said, that it could criminalize preschool students parading on their first field trip to the high court. Harold Hodge Jr. was arrested on the Supreme Court plaza in January 2011 wh...

The new dads: Diaper duty’s just the start NEW YORK (AP) — Laura Radocaj of Vero Beach, Fla., was warned when she was pregnant with twins that motherhood would be harder than she imagined — especially because she planned to go back to work while the twins were still babies. “But this has been the easiest transition,” said Radocaj, 28, who works from home in corporate communications. So what’s her secret? Her husband, Marco, also 28, puts in just as much time with child care and housewo...

Feds: Bulger at center of murder, mayhem in Boston BOSTON (AP) — A federal prosecutor said in opening statements Wednesday at James “Whitey” Bulger’s racketeering trial that the reputed mobster was at the center of “murder and mayhem” in Boston for almost 30 years, while the defense attacked the credibility of the government’s star witnesses. Prosecutor Brian Kelly told jurors that Bulger headed the violent Winter Hill Gang that “ran amok” in Boston for nearly three decades, killing 19 people,...